The eyes of Winter

****Please review, I\'m dying here people...LOL...
Just takes a second...Hope you like it so far...
Next chapter Goodie Gryffindors
finally get some, and I\'m not talking getting laid...tee hee...
Shaolin****

Chapter 15...Potions

Winter made her way to the dungeon classroom for her much awaited first
Potions lesson. Last night at dinner she had noticed Professor Snape watching
her a bit too closely. His dark eyes searching as the other Slytherins
laughed and joked around her. It made her wonder what he was truly thinking
as he sat watching, unmoving like a statue. Only the dark eyes flicking
back and forth under the sweep of black hair that fell over them.

As she entered the dank room with Crabbe and Goyle annoyingly on her heels,
she looked around. Snape was behind his desk with the same blank expression.
Arms crossed and looking sullen, but keeping her in his sights as she made her
morning rounds. Saying her hellos, and making some introductions. Of course
her unwanted body guards followed like a foul stench.

Winter, sick of the two lumbering around her hissed, \"SIT, NOW! Both of you!\"
They obeyed, scurrying into their seats without a word.

Draco had them stay with her as he attended the weekly Monday morning meeting
for Head boys and girls. Assigning them their hall duties, and anything else that
needed to be discussed. Such as certain problems with house members and so on.
She didn\'t mind, but Crabbe and Goyle? Like she needed them, but if it made him
feel at ease. She went with it.

She walked across the room, passing Snape\'s desk. He watched her walk in front
of him, eyes following slowly. Winter locked her ice blues with his shiny black
ones, and as she passed ran a hand slowly across the length of the cherry wood
desk. Letting a small smile play on the side of her mouth, as her slender fingers
slid silently across the slick finish. She closed her eyes for a brief moment,
breaking their gaze as she turned from him.

She took an empty seat next to Calub and DJ, who had motioned her over.

\"Morning, gentlemen. Are we having fun yet?\" Winter yawned and stretched.
Noticing how her new found friends eyes lingered on her muscular arms.

Calub, now blushing said, \"Ha. This has to be your first Potions class.
No one, and I mean no one has fun in here.\"

His joke sent DJ into a fit of laughter, trying to stifle himself.

\"I bet I could have fun in here!\" Winter looked around, Slytherins and
Gryffindors were everywhere now. Finding their seats, and looking at her
like she was a new addition to the Classroom. Being used to this even
before she came here, she ignored them.

Snape stood, and brought the students to order. \"Take out your wands,
and your cauldrons and begin the potion on the board.\" His voice was hard
and demanding. \"Do it now, quickly and silently!\"

He stalked over to the table where Winter sat with Calub and DJ. He
crossed his arms again, sending his robe billowing around his upper
body.

\"There are too many bodies at this table. Miss VaShawn I suggest you
vacate unless you want blown up.\" He eyed Calub who was almost as
bad at Potions as Neville. \"Move to,\" he eyed the classroom sweeping
his eyes from table to table. \"Move over by....Potter.\" He said Potter
like it was a bad taste in his mouth.

Potter, the name rang a bell with her. He had read something on her
first visit here about a boy who lived, and he-who-must-not-be-named.
Draco had also said something at dinner about Potter, and the want to
beat him into the ground in..um..what was it...yes, Quidditch.

She looked at her new friends and shrugged. \"See you later, boys.\"
Not letting Snape have the satisfaction of seeing any form of emotion
from her, she moved silently. Sitting down next to the tall lanky boy,
with brown hair, and a very surprised look on his face.

\"Very well then, do your potions and hand them in at the end of
class in a marked vile. And Longbottom, don\'t screw this one up or
you\'ll pay for the next cauldron you melt.\"

Neville turned red, and murmured a soft, \"Yes, sir.\"

The red haired boy next to him only turned around and began to
gape at the pair like Winter was about to violently snatch Harry up. Winter
was pretty sure she had seen the bushy haired girl kiss him quickly as she
made her way into the same meeting as Draco did. Her eyes were much
more cutting than his. Harry shrugged at him, and he began to try to attempt the
potion that was assigned. No doubt planning to ask a million questions
later.

\"Uh, hi.\" Harry wasn\'t sure if he should try to talk to her or
not. He had heard all the rumors and of course was there that first
night in the Great hall. He had to admit she intimidated him. Her looks
combined with what she held within managed to make him a tad nervous.

The guy next to her was talking to her, so she looked at him. Taking
in the smell of the small amount of fear that was coming from his pores.

\"Chill out, Potter. Calm down.\" Non-chalantly commanding him.

He stiffened, she knew he was nervous. Was it that obvious?

\"Winter, right?\" He was starting to ease a little, she didn\'t look mad.
Yet he wouldn\'t bet on it.

\"Yeah like you don\'t know, and your the famous Harry Potter. PFFSSTT!
She blew her breath out in a mocking way. \"Big Deal.\"

He smiled at her mockery. \"You\'ve been talking to Draco too much.\"

\"What\'s that suppose to mean?\" She looked at him, with question in her
voice.

\"Oh, you didn\'t know your boyfriend hates the very ground I walk on, and
at the first chance would slit my throat with a straight razor.\"

Something funny struck her about his statement, and she laughed a little
too loud. Making Snape arch an eyebrow at the pair, but he stayed silent
still brooding coolly.

\"I doubt it, Harry.\"

\"Woh...you called me Harry.\" His eyes wide again.

\"Well its your fucking name isn\'t it?\" She didn\'t like idiotic
statements.

\"Well it\'s just that all the Slytherins call me Potter. Never Harry.\"

\"Well do I look like all Slytherins?\" She questioned him as he tried to
regain his composure.

\"No.\" He laughed. \"You don\'t look like anyone else, actually.\"

\"You say that like its a bad thing? And by the way, Draco is not my
boyfriend. I don\'t believe in labeling people for the benefit of society.\"

\"Oh.\" Confusion had spread on his face again. Thinking about what she
had just said. \"Well that\'s one way to think about it.\"

\"No,\" she replied. \"Its the only way. Now help me with this potion,
before I fail my first class.\"

Harry obliged, and they had almost finished in an hour, barely speaking. He
was surprised at her knowledge of herbs and ingredients. Even more so, as she
mixed it. Making it turn the right color of orange, as her wand stirred it.

\"Fenitsio gartnim.\" She whispered as her wand made it begin to boil.

\"Hey winter, can I ask you something?\" He was hesitant.

\"Sure thing, Harry. Shoot.\" She was sprinkling the last powder in not
taking her eyes of the mixture, but not really listening to him either.

\"Well, just out of curiosity. What is the core of your wand made from?\"

\" If you must know, its Unicorn.\" She blew on the mix and it turned
the deep purple it was suppose to. \"Why?\"

\"Just wondering. I saw your horse, and some of us were wondering if he
possessed any form of magic. Thought maybe your wand had his hair in it.\"

\"No, if Onyx had any magic, he would of told me by now.\" She was serious,
not a hint of joking in her voice. \"At least I would hope so.\"

\"You know my friend Neville is terrified of your horse, not to mention
you.\" He motioned to the dark haired boy that sat in front of him.

\"Well\", she was bottling up the potion now. \"Onyx is a little scary, but
you know I\'m a lot scarier than he is.\" She let herself smile as she wrote
their names on the label. \"At least that\'s the rumor. You see, Harry I don\'t
like strangers. At all. Yet here I am surrounded by them. Taken by this world
away from everything I\'ve ever known. You may have thought it was good for
you, but unlike you I don\'t. I wasn\'t taken from a bad situation, I was put into one.\"

\"Wow, I guess I didn\'t think about it that way.\"

\"Well, maybe you should change your way of thinking.\" She wasn\'t mad,
but her tone was annoyed. He thought he better stop asking her questions.
She was gone before he knew it. Setting their bottle on Snape\'s desk. Her
back was to him, and he could only see Snape with a smirk of satisfaction
on his lips. She asked him something, and he nodded vaguely. Then she
was returning to the desk, gathering her things and leaving.

\"Bye, Winter.\"

She looked at Harry and nodded. \"See you, Harry.\"

He wondered why she had left early, but soon found out at his next class.
Care of Magical Creatures...Hagrid\'s class.
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